In general, the electronic transport of media items has a wide range of applications. For example, the electronic transport of media has application in video transport and multi-media systems. One essential element of both video transport and multi-media systems is the ability to transport large amounts of data. In general, binary large objects (blobs) are defined as large amounts of digital data. For example, blobs may consist of video, audio, graphics, etc. In any video transport system and multi-media system, resources are limited. The lack of resources is a problem when transporting blobs. It is desirable to provide a data transport system that effectively and efficiently supports the transfer of blobs.
A video transport system has the capability to deliver video upon request such that the video transport system sends video streams to large numbers of concurrent users. The video is stored on a disk, and a video server is used to read the video streams from the disk. The video server then transmits the video stream over a network. However, in such a system, the video stream must be transferred in real time. In addition, because the video transport system has limited resources, problems with disk contention and network congestion must be addressed. Therefore, a video transport system that effectively solves these problems is desirable.
Multi-media is defined as the integration of several audio and video production units into a single controllable unit. Multi-media projects cover many communication media types, including printed materials, audio programs, television shows, feature films and many others. The ability to integrate the functions of the resources utilized in the production of multi-media projects into a single shared system provides a level of performance and capability unknown in the prior art. A multi-media system may require access to a central source that stores multi-media data, such as blobs. However, in order to support such a multi-media system, an effective and efficient transport system is required.